List Entry Information

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City/District Council

Wellington City

Region

Wellington Region

Legal description

All DP 5609 & Pt Sec 301 Town of Wellington

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This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration.

Sir James Sands Elliott was born in Randalstown , County Antrim, Ireland, in 1880. Having obtained the degrees of Doctor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Otago University and Edinburgh University, Sir James served the medical profession for 51 years. He was knighted in 1936.

Having bought the site at 43 Kent Terrace in May, 1906, Sir James had the house built in 1913. It provided for his private practice as well as his residence. A consulting room and a surgery at the Kent Terrace end of the building have, like the rest of the building, been converted to office space.

Sir James died in October 1959 at the age of 79, as one of New Zealands' most eminent surgeons. The house was sold to Rover New Zealand Ltd in September 1960, and has since changed hands three times. The current owners, Primacq Holdings Ltd, renovated the building into leasable office space in 1988.

This historic place was registered under the Historic Places Act 1980. This report includes the text from the original Building Classification Committee report considered by the NZHPT Board at the time of registration.

ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

This is Gray Young's first Georgian styled houses, and is one of his best known. It acted as the forerunner of many Georgian styled buildings that Gray Young designed, for the style soon became popular. These buildings are characterised by their symmetry, the decorated entry and the feature window in the roof. The feature window at 43 Kent Terrace has been replaced by a dormer.

TOWNSCAPE/LANDMARK SIGNIFICANCE:

The Neo-Georgian features of the Elliott House give it a distinction and character which are otherwise lacking in this area of Kent Terrace.

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Gray Young, William

William Gray Young (1885-1962) was born in Oamaru. When he was a child his family moved to Wellington where he was educated. After leaving school he was articled to the Wellington architectural firm of Crichton and McKay. In 1906 he won a competition for the design of Knox College, Dunedin, and shortly after this he commenced practice on his own account.

He became a prominent New Zealand architect and during a career of 60 years he designed over 500 buildings. His major buildings include the Wellington and Christchurch Railway Stations (1936 and 1954 respectively), Scot's College (1919), Phoenix Assurance Building (1930) and the Australian Mutual Provident Society (AMP) Chambers (1950). At Victoria University College of Wellington he was responsible for the Stout (1930), Kirk (1938), and Easterfield (1957) buildings, and Weir House (1930). Gray Young also achieved recognition for his domestic work such as the Elliott House Wellington, (1913).

His design for the Wellesley Club (1925) earned him the Gold Medal of the New Zealand Institute of Architects in 1932. He was elected a Fellow of the Institute in 1913, served on the executive committee from 1914-35 and was President from 1935-36. He was also elected a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and achieved prominence in public affairs.

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Notable Features

The cream coloured painting of the brickwork; the heavy, semicircular pediment over the doorway; and the varian on a dormer window on the street facade.

Construction Details

Double walls of red brickwork in stretcher bond. Areas of the roof which are pitched are clad with clay tiles; those which are flat are clad with 'Butynol'.

Dominion

Dominion

'Death of Sir James Elliott, Surgeon', 28 October 1959

Dominion Death of a well known Architect 23 April 1962

Evening Post

Evening Post

'Sir James Elliott Dies in his 80th Year', 27 October, 1959

McGill, 1980

David McGill and Grant Tilly, In Praise of Older Buildings, Auckland, Methuen, 1980

Vortermans, 1982

Blumenson, 1977

JJG Blumenson, Identifying American Architecture A Pictorial Guide to Styles and Terms, 1600-1945 American Association for State and Local History Nashville, Tennessee, 1977

A copy of this report is available from the NZHPT Central Region office

Please note that entry on the New Zealand Heritage List/Rarangi Korero identifies only the heritage values of the property concerned, and should not be construed as advice on the state of the property, or as a comment of its soundness or safety, including in regard to earthquake risk, safety in the event of fire, or insanitary conditions.